Universities Encourage Drinking From the Tap

Students at the University of Vermont will be without bottled water on campus when they return from winter break this year. The university recently banned on-campus sales of bottled water.

Instead, students are being encouraged to fill up reusable cups, mugs, and bottles at refill stations that have been placed all over campus. The stations are becoming a popular campus addition; Virginia Tech also has refill fountains throughout campus.

The effort to reduce waste and encourage sustainability has been gaining traction in communities and on college campuses. And you can join in on the effort at home by refilling instead of buying bottles.

Why should you consider filling up from the tap rather than buying water in a bottle?

Bottled water is not a good value. You will pay more per gallon for bottled water than water right from the tap.
Bottled water is no healthier than tap water. Municipal water falls under the purview of the Environmental Protection Agency, and is regularly inspected for bacteria and toxic chemicals.
Bottled water creates more garbage. Water bottles account for 1.5 million tons of plastic waste each year, and those bottles take a long time to decompose.
Water here in the Roanoke Region is plentiful and of great quality.